The "hourglass" of dust and gas clouds is only visible in infrared light, the wavelengths Webb specializes in. Webb captures the image of a protostar, the very beginning of a new star. So when I first saw the data, it was like stepping out of a virtual reality into the real world," said Brant Robertson, a professor of astronomy and astrophysics at the University of California, Santa Cruz. "I've been looking at simulated data, trying to mimic what JWST would see, for many years now. Outside of our own solar system, JWST has also helped astronomers observe the oldest and most distant known galaxies. "Like stepping out of a virtual reality into the real world" "Boom! The ring systems just pop right out, and they're gorgeous," Hammel said. JWST's instruments spotted the rings with unmatched clarity. The Voyager spacecraft flew past Neptune in 1989, but could only capture the brightest parts of the planet's rings. Prior to JWST, Hammel said, astronomers had never clearly observed Neptune's ring system. Observed here in near-infrared wavelengths, Neptune appears ghostly white instead of blue. This is the clearest view of Neptune's rings in decades, taken by JWST. They all agree JWST is a game changer, and that there's plenty more groundbreaking research still to come. NPR spoke with three astronomers in different disciplines of astronomy about how JWST is advancing research in their area of expertise. The telescope's instruments have allowed it to capture previously unobservable planets, stars and galaxies near and far. The telescope is only five months into its science mission, and it's already transforming astronomy. "I pulled down those data, and just started paging through them, pouring through them. "I downloaded the data, and I'm like, sitting in my pajamas.you know, it's pandemic, we're all working from home," Rigby said. And the first results amazed astronomers. Webb's image reveals countless newly formed stars glistening amongst the columns of gas and dust.Īfter an initial calibration period, the telescope started collecting data. The Pillars of Creation were first photographed by Hubble in 1995.
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